Committee on Standards in Public Life: 10th Report

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am pleased to announce that the 10th report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Getting the Balance Right: Implementing Standards of Conduct in Public Life has been published today by the committee. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Justice Oversight Commissioner

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government have received and welcomed the third report from the Justice Oversight Commissioner, the right honourable Lord Clyde, on the progress achieved in implementing the recommendations of the Review of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland. Consistent with his terms of reference, the report was submitted to the Attorney-General, Baroness Ashton, Minister for the Northern Ireland Court Service, and me in December.
	Lord Clyde concludes that the position overall is one of solid progress continuing to be made over the whole range of the work. Whilst some few areas of delay have been identified, as more and more of the particular elements of the whole package of reforms begin to fall into place, the picture of the new system of criminal justice is beginning to emerge and the overall progress towards that end remains commendable. The Government warmly endorse these conclusions.

Electoral Law (Northern Ireland) Act 1962 (Amendment) Order 2005

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	I am announcing that today an Order in Council has been laid to move the date of local elections in Northern Ireland on a permanent basis from the third Wednesday in May to the first Thursday in May. If this measure is accepted by Parliament and the Privy Council it will mean that the Northern Ireland local elections due on Wednesday 18 May 2005 will now take place on Thursday 5 May.
	This measure brings local election dates in Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom.
	The Government discussed this step in advance with both the Chief Electoral Officer of Northern Ireland and the Electoral Commission.

Terrorism Act 2000: Report on Part VII

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are pleased to say that the Lord Carlile of Berriew QC has completed the report on the operation of Part VII of the Act, which will be laid before the House.

Independent Advisory Board for Futurebuilders

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: My noble friend Lady Pitkeathley has been appointed by the Home Secretary as Chair of the Independent Advisory Board for Futurebuilders, a non-departmental public body (NDPB) that will advise Ministers on the continuing objectives, priorities and governance; and on the implementation and effectiveness of the Futurebuilders investment fund.
	The appointment was made on 22 December 2004 and will run until April 2007 in the first instance.
	Baroness Pitkeathley is currently the chair of the Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). She has previously served as chair of two other NDPBs, the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and the General Social Care Council (GSCC).

National Offender Management Service: Drug Strategy

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are today announcing the launch of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) drug strategy.
	In line with the Government's national drug strategy 2002, NOMS has developed a comprehensive strategy for the management and treatment of problematic drug users throughout the correctional services. The strategy is based on extensive consultation with key stakeholders and has been informed by evidence-based research. This strategy complements the alcohol strategy for prisoners that was launched in December 2004.
	The NOMS drug strategy draws together existing and planned drug interventions and the wider support available for drug-misusers both in custody and in the community. The strategy will help create an individual focus to interventions, lower the level of harm that misusers cause themselves and others, and reduce the supply and demand of illicit drugs in prisons.
	The strategy, which fits squarely with the work already under way with the Government's drug interventions programme, will help support the Home Office target of reducing reoffending by reinforcing the end-to-end case management processes that are being adopted throughout NOMS.
	It is essential that effective drug treatment—as envisaged under this strategy—continues to form part of the overall offender management process. Benefiting from NOMS's enhanced offender management arrangements, the strategy will see improvements in the continuity of care, with a focus on an individual's handover at critical transition points in the criminal justice system—including when released on licence and upon completion of sentence. This in turn will support effective resettlement and reintegration into society.
	There are an estimated 250,000 to 280,000 problematic drug users in the United Kingdom. At any one time around a third—80,000—are serving custodial or community sentences. This underlines the pivotal role that NOMS has to play in the delivery of drug treatment.
	A copy of the strategy is available in the Library.

Gulf War 1990–91: Veterans' Mortality Data

Lord Bach: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	As part of the Government's continuing commitment to openness and transparency on Gulf veterans' illnesses I am today publishing the regular data on the mortality of veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict. The most recent figures for the period 1 April 1991 to 31 December 2004 were published on 17 January 2005. The tables from that publication are set out below. Table 1 gives the causes of death to UK Gulf veterans over that period; table 2 shows the deaths due to neoplasms (cancers) among Gulf veterans.
	As with previous information, the data for Gulf veterans are compared to those of a control group known as the Era cohort which is made up of Armed Forces personnel of a similar profile in terms of gender, service, regular/reservist status and rank, who were not deployed to the Gulf. Subsequent to the previous release of this data, further examination of trends in some cause-groups has revealed differences between the Gulf and Era cohort age groups: although each Era cohort age group was randomly sampled to be the same size as the corresponding Gulf cohort age group, those who were aged 40 years or over on 1 January 1991 who deployed to the Gulf were often younger than those sampled for the Era cohort. All figures for the Era cohort have therefore been adjusted to the single years of age structure of the Gulf cohort, as at 1 January 1991, to ensure appropriate comparisons. The main impact is slightly to reduce the previously noticed excess of deaths in the Era cohort caused by disease-related conditions, and cancer in particular, increasing the similarity between the two cohorts. The effect on accidental deaths is minimal.
	
		Table 1: Deaths to UK Gulf Veterans 1 1 April 1991–31 December 2004
		
			 Causes 2ICD Chapter Cause of death Gulf Era Adjusted 3Era CrudeMortalityRate Ratio Adjusted 3MortalityRate Ratio Adjusted 395%ConfidenceInterval 
			  All deaths 687 712 688 0.96 0.99 (0.89–1.10) 
			  All cause coded deaths 678 700 678 0.96 0.99 (0.89–1.10) 
			 I-XVIII Disease related causes 305 366 341 0.83 0.88 (0.76–1.03) 
			 I Certain infectious and parasitic diseases 6 3 3 1.99 2.15 (0.50–9.35) 
			 II Neoplasms 138 154 141 0.89 0.97 (0.77–1.22) 
			 V Mental and behavioural disorders 11 18 17 0.61 0.65 (0.31–1.39) 
			 VI Diseases of the nervous system 10 11 11 0.90 0.91 (0.93–2.14) 
			 IX Diseases of the circulatory system 106 130 124 0.81 0.85 (0.65–1.10) 
			 X Diseases of the respiratory system 10 6 5 1.66 1.79 (0.59–5.41) 
			 XI Diseases of the digestive system 17 24 22 0.70 0.75 (0.40–1.43) 
			 III, IV, XII–XVIII All other disease related causes 4 7 20 18 0.35 0.36 (0.15–0.91) 
			 XX External causes of mortality 373 334 337 1.11 1.10 (0.95–1.27) 
			  Transport accidents: 171 138 139 1.23 1.22 (0.97–1.53) 
			  Land transport accident: 140 114 115 1.22 1.20 (0.94–1.55) 
			  Pedestrian 17 6 7 2.82 2.62 (1.03–6.64) 
			  Motorcycle rider 38 32 32 1.18 1.17 (0.73–1.88) 
			  Car occupant 5 41 32 32 1.27 1.26 (0.79–2.01) 
			  Other 6 44 44 44 0.99 0.98 (0.64–1.50) 
			  Water transport 5 2 2 2.49 2.44 (0.46–12.86) 
			  Air and space transport 26 22 22 1.18 1.17 (0.67–2.06) 
			  Other external causes of accidental injury: 67 61 60 1.09 1.09 (0.77–1.56) 
			  Falls 7 6 6 1.16 1.24 (0.44–3.51) 
			  Exposure to inanimate mechanical forces 12 15 16 0.80 0.73 (0.33–1.58) 
			  Accidental drowning and submersion and other   accidental threats to breathing 13 6 6 2.16 2.05 (0.76–5.55) 
			  Accidental poisoning by and exposure to noxious   substances 15 15 14 0.99 1.01 (0.48–2.14) 
			  Accidental exposure to other and unspecified factors 16 12 11 1.33 1.39 (0.65–2.00) 
			  Other 4 7 6 0.57 0.60 (0.17–2.14) 
			  Intentional self-harm and events of undetermined   intent 7, 8 120 110 112 1.09 1.06 (0.82–1.37) 
			  Assault 5 10 10 0.50 0.46 (0.15–1.38) 
			  Legal intervention and operations of war 4 5 6 0.87 0.74 (0.20–2.66) 
			  Sequelae of external causes of morbidity and mortality 0 2 1 0.00 0.00 (0.00–0.00) 
			  Deaths where the inquest has been Adjourned 6 8 
			  Other deaths for which cause data are not yet available 5 8 
			  Overseas deaths for which cause data are not available 4 4 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 Service and Ex-Service personnel only.
	2 Causes have been coded to the World Health Organisation's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision (ICD-10), 1992.
	3 Adjusted for age of the Gulf cohort at 1 January 1991. The numbers may not add up to the totals shown due to rounding.
	4 Includes cases with insufficient information on the death certificate to provide a known cause of death.
	5 The MoD's casualty branches have notified DASA that one of the personnel who died in a road traffic accident was riding a motorbike rather than being a car occupant. This change has been reflected in the numbers.
	6 Under ICD-10 coding if the death certificate does not specifically mention the type of vehicle that was involved in the accident, the death is coded to "motor- or non-motor vehicle accident, type of vehicle unspecified". There were 36 deaths to Gulf veterans compared to 33 in the Era group.
	7 These events include those given a coroner's verdict of suicide or open verdict death by a Coroner in England and Wales and similar causes in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It includes one death which has been coded to the ICD-10 code F11.1 ("Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of opoids") by the ONS. This death has been excluded from the mental and behavioural disorders.
	8 ONS have recently informed DASA that deaths where the inquest has been adjourned are coded to Y33 ("Other specified events, undetermined intent"). Historically these have been included with the intentional self-harm and events of undetermined intent.
	
		Table 2: Deaths to UK Gulf veterans due to neoplasms: 1 April 1991–31 December 2004 -- Major cancer sites and specific sites with at least five deaths in one of the cohorts
		
			 ICD Cancer site Gulf Era Adjusted 1Era CrudeMortalityRate Ratio Adjusted 1MortalityRate Ratio Adjusted 195%ConfidenceInterval 
			 C00–D48 Neoplasms 138 154 141 0.89 0.97 (0.77–1.22) 
			 C00–C99 Malignant Neoplasms (MN) 135 151 140 0.89 0.97 (0.77–1.22) 
			 C00–C14 MN of lip, oral cavity and pharynx 6 6 5 0.99 1.04 (0.32–3.41) 
			 C15–C26, C48 MN of digestive organs and peritoneum 33 39 34 0.84 0.96 (0.60–1.54) 
			 C15 MN of oesophagus 12 5 4 2.39 2.92 (0.98–8.72) 
			 C16 MN of stomach 1 6 4 0.17 0.19 (0.02–2.04) 
			 C18 MN of colon 4 14 11 0.28 0.35 (0.11–1.07) 
			 C25 MN of pancreas 6 8 8 0.75 0.78 (0.27–2.25) 
			 C30–C39, C45 MN of respiratory and intrathoracic organs 22 30 26 0.73 0.87 (0.50–1.49) 
			 C34 MN of bronchus and lung 19 28 24 0.68 0.80 (0.45–1.42) 
			 C40–C44, C47, C49–C50 MN of bone, connective tissue, skin and breast 16 14 14 1.14 1.13 (0.55–2.32) 
			 C43 Malignant melanoma of skin 7 5 5 1.39 1.42 (0.46–4.37) 
			 C51–C68 MN if genitourinary organs 5 8 7 0.62 0.65 (0.21–2.06) 
			 C69–C80 MN of other and unspecified sites 27 35 34 0.77 0.79 (0.48–1.31) 
			 C71 MN of brain 18 20 19 0.90 0.93 (0.49–1.77) 
			 C80 MN without specification of site 8 12 12 0.66 0.68 (0.28–1.65) 
			 C81–C96 MN of lymphatic and haematopoietic tissue 26 19 17 1.36 1.45 (0.79–2.66) 
			 C81–C85, C91.4, C96 Lymphomas 13 9 9 1.44 1.50 (0.64–3.53) 
			 C82– C85, C91.4, C96 Non–Hodgkin's lymphoma 9 6 6 1.49 1.60 (0.57–4.51) 
			 C91–C95 excl C91.4 Leukaemias 11 8 7 1.37 1.38 (0.53–3.59) 
			 C92 Myeloid leukaemia 8 5 5 1.59 1.47 (0.48–4.47) 
			 D00–D48 In situ neoplasms, benign neoplasms and neoplasms   of uncertain behaviour or unspecified nature 3 3 3 0.99 0.89 (0.16–4.93) 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 Adjusted for age of Gulf cohort at 1 January 1991.

Learning and Skills Council

Lord Filkin: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Mr Ivan Lewis) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I would inform the House that the Learning and Skills Council for England has today published its annual report and accounts for the period to 31 March 2004. Copies have been placed in the House Libraries.

Takeover Bids

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	A consultative document seeking views on the Government's proposals for implementing the EU directive on takeover bids has been published today. Copies are available in the Library and on the DTI website at www.dti.gov.uk/cld/current.htm. The deadline for comments is 15 April.
	The consultative document reflects the Government's view that our existing system of takeover regulation overseen by the Takeover Panel has many strengths and enjoys the confidence of business. In order to minimise disruption to the current regime, the Government have therefore concluded that the panel should retain responsibility for takeover regulation and that a central objective in implementing the directive should be to build on the strengths of the existing system.
	In order to comply with the requirements of the directive this will require the panel being given powers to make statutory rules whilst retaining scope to determine its own constitutional and operational framework. The consultative document explains the issues to which this gives rise and how the Government propose to deal with them.
	Primary legislation making the necessary provisions to implement the directive on this basis will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.